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Jeff Gordon's drive for five gets Brickyard boost

Brickyard 400 history

The Brickyard 400 is in its third decade. It came to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 and quickly became the title most coveted by drivers, except for the Daytona 500. Many of NASCAR's modern greats have won here -- Jeff Gordon has five victories and Jimmie Johnson four -- and it has been the scene of career highlights for Hoosier natives Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman. Here is a look at the 21 Brickyard races, with highlights culled from Star coverage.

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1994

Jeff Gordon

Rundown: Jeff Gordon, who grew up dominating short-track races across Indiana, returned for his - and NASCAR's -- first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was the youngest driver in that race at age 23, but he was already developing into a top-flight Cup driver, having earned his first career win at the Coca-Cola 600. He started third and led 93 laps on the way to an emotional victory.

Quote: Gordon took an extra celebratory lap. Why? "I had to get all the tears wiped off my face."

No brotherly love: Brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine had been feuding that season, and it carried over on the track. They hit each other while battling for the lead; Geoff crashed while Brett got through on the way to finishing second.

1995

Dale Earnhardt

Rundown: Rain delayed the race for several hours and many fans had gone home, assuming a postponement. But the race started in late afternoon and continued until dusk. Dale Earnhardt started 13th and brushed the wall early in the race but no damage was done. He didn't lead until the 133th lap, but maintained it the rest of the way.

Quote: At the time, Earnhardt had seemingly won everything except the Daytona 500. "To go out and make accomplishments like this, it gives you confidence. I'm looking forward to going to Daytona in 1996 and be a contender to win the Daytona 500. We've won more races there than anybody else. I'm tied here." He won the 1998 Daytona 500 but was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.

Who's Who on his tail: Rusty Wallace finished second in a race that had only one caution flag. Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon - the previous year's winner - finished third through sixth.

1996

Dale Jarrett

Rundown: Jarrett started the race 24th, but he trailed only teammate Ernie Irvan with 13 laps to go. Jarrett found an opportunity to get by when Irvan slid toward the outside wall going through Turn 1 on Lap 154. Jarrett also slid but managed to get by. Irvan never gave up, but he couldn't get by Jarrett, who won.

Quote: "We knew we were going to finish 1-2," Jarrett said about himself and Irvan. "It was a matter of which one was going to finish first."

Bummer: Irvan had also been in position to win the inaugural Brickyard 400 two years earlier before a cut tire forced him to give up the lead. Having another close call, well ... "This is more heartbreaking than getting the flat tire," Irvan said.

1997

Ricky Rudd

Rundown: Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon, already winners at the Brickyard, heartbreak kid Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin were battling up front when a caution at Lap 147 prompted some pit stops that put Rudd in the lead. When the race resumed, Rudd held off all of them on Indy's low-banked track. The win gave Rudd at least one in each of 15 straight seasons.

Quote: "The fastest guy doesn't always win the race; I've had 'em get away from me too. You've got to be smart . . . and sometimes you've got to be a little lucky."

Shrug of the shoulders: "It's hard sometimes not to win when you've got the best car, but that's just the way it goes some days and Ricky did a great job," said Jarrett, who wound up third.

1998

Jeff Gordon

Rundown: There were challengers aplenty for Gordon, but misfortune struck them all. Dale Jarrett ran out of fuel on the track, taking him off the pace. Mark Martin had a poor pit stop, costing him precious seconds. Some Fords that had been strong early --- driven by Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Burton and Rusty Wallace - couldn't keep pace. Martin battled back but never caught up. Gordon, who led 97 laps, got his second Brickyard 400 win and 35th Cup checkered flag.

Quote: "We didn't win this race. A couple of fast Fords lost it. We were lucky. Flat lucky. We could have just as easily finished third."

Big money: Gordon won $1,637,625. It doesn't sound that huge now, but it was the largest single-day check in motor sports history at the time, even larger than any awarded the Indianapolis 500 winner.

1999

Dale Jarrett

Rundown: Jarrett brought the same car he had driven in the 1998 Brickyard 400, in which he ran out of fuel at the mid point. The car performed splendidly, leading 117 laps on the way to his second win at the Speedway.

Quote: "The engine was so good, I could beat anybody on the straightaways." - Jarrett

No chance: Jarrett's foes knew early on they didn't have the horsepower to win. "They made sure they didn't run out of gas today, then they killed everybody," said third-place finisher Jeff Gordon

Lament: Jarrett's team, owned by Robert Yates, still regretted its decision-making a year earlier. "We shed a lot of tears last year. We couldn't even joke about running out of gas for about six months," Yates said.

2000

Bobby Labonte

Rundown: It was becoming monotonous for Labonte. He had trailed Rusty Wallace for dozens of laps, unable to mount a charge. With a little more than 14 laps to go, Wallace bobbled in the third turn, allowing Labonte an opening for a pass and the victory. Labonte ended up winning by a dominating 4.229 seconds.

Quote: "All I had seen for forever was blue, blue, blue (of Wallace's rear)," Labonte said. "When I saw something else, I just gassed it and held on. Once I got by, I didn't look back."

Rusty's lament: "I lost the damn (Brickyard) race in '94 and '95 ... but today I just kind of got outrun the last 25 laps," Wallace said.

Bittersweet: Labonte's victory was tempered a bit because his brother, Terry, wasn't racing. Terry Labonte had competed in 655 consecutive Cup races before a concussion suffered a month earlier stopped the streak.

2001

Jeff Gordon

Rundown: Gordon turned 30 years old the day before the race, but he wasn't feeling old. After having started 27th, he got himself into position by taking two tires on a pit stop during a caution. On a Lap 136 restart, he was in second place before easily slipping past Sterling Marlin for the lead. Gordon had clear sailing the rest of the way in his third Brickyard win.

Quote: "It's been such a flash. It's gone by so fast," Gordon said of the last decade. "I have done some things that I could never have imagined. I just hope the next 10 years are as good as the last 10."

Hoosiers, harumph: Tony Stewart of Columbus brushed a wall on the way to a 17th-place finish. Ryan Newman, then a rookie from South Bend and Purdue, led the race but had wall contact on the way to 31st.

2002

Bill Elliott

Rundown: Bill Elliott, who had won the previous week, led more than half the laps and took over for good by passing Rusty Wallace on a restart with 12 laps to go. Dale Jarrett challenged until a poor pit stop cost him precious seconds in a 10th-place finish. Tony Stewart was in the mix but faded to 12th place.

Quote: "It seems like it's been a lifetime getting here and I don't know how to describe it," Elliott said. "You just look back, all the hard work, I'm just proud of where I'm at today. I'm proud of the accomplishment."

Fighting mad: Stewart, still fuming over his finish, didn't appreciate a photographer trailing him through Gasoline Alley and took a swing at him.

Sign of things to come: Jimmie Johnson started 37th and finished ninth in his first Brickyard start.

2003

Kevin Harvick

Rundown: For the first time, a pole winner also won the race. Harvick passed Jamie McMurray for the lead on Lap 145, shortly before a crash brought out the final caution of the race. On the restart with 10 laps to go, Harvick sped away as teammate Robby Gordon - who drew the wrath of Harvick and others earlier in the season at Sonoma, Calif., for passing under caution -- made it difficult for other cars to keep up. Gordon eventually faded from third to sixth.

Quote: "I know I was mad at (Gordon) after Sonoma, but he did all he could to day to hold those guys back and give us a cushion. This win is as much his as it is ours," Harvick said.

The feeling wasn't universal: "He's a damn menace to society," McMurray said of Gordon. "That guy, he just races so hard."

2004

Jeff Gordon

Rundown: Gordon led 124 laps in a race that ended under caution, one of 13 yellow flags to interrupt the racing. A piece of debris struck Gordon's car late in the race, but it didn't deter him. Gordon entered some pretty rare air with his fourth victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Only A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears have done that in the Indianapolis 500.

Quote: "It was starting to really get to me, and I didn't realize how much that it meant to me," said Gordon, who added he didn't feel his accomplishment match those of the IndyCar stars. "I'm blown away with four. I can't believe it."

A.J. Chimes in, as only he can: "That's like comparing chicken(crap) with chicken salad; they're different cars," Foyt said. "That'd be like a four-time winner at Pocono saying he was as good as a four-time winner at Indy just because he drove an Indy car at both places."

2005

Tony Stewart

Rundown: Stewart qualified precisely in the middle of the pack, 22nd, and he was content to let others lead until Lap 100. Kasey Kahne led on a restart with 10 laps to go, but Stewart got inside of him in Turn 2 and sped off to the first victory by a Hoosier-born driver at the Speedway since Wilbur Shaw won the 1940 Indianapolis 500.

Quote: "It's definitely the greatest day of my life." - Tony Stewart

Quite a surge: The victory came as part of a seven-week stretch that included four wins and a climb from 10th to second in the Cup standings.

2006

Jimmie Johnson

Rundown: Johnson had some adversity to overcome. His left front tire failed on Lap 40, sending him to 38th place. He came out of the pits in eighth place with 14 laps to go after replacing all four tires. Within five laps he had the lead and became the second driver to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season (Dale Jarrett in 1996 was the other).

Quote: "There was nothing of a championship on my mind today," Johnson said. "I want this trophy over here with the brick on it." Johnson won the first of five straight season championships that year.

Hint of trouble: NASCAR called competition cautions twice early in the race so crews could check tire wear. It didn't turn out to be a problem, but the series wasn't so fortunate a couple of years later.

2007

Tony Stewart

Rundown: While Stewart's first Brickyard win two years earlier was filled with anxiety followed by exhaustion, this one was a fairly simple Sunday drive. He had the dominant car, leading 65 laps. And when Kevin Harvick made a pass for the lead on Lap 141, Stewart was hardly fazed. He got back around Harvick 10 laps later and cruised to victory.

Quote: "Here kitty, kitty." Tony Stewart was so confident while in second place, he joked on his team radio before slipping by Harvick.

Versatility: Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner and a former Formula One driver, became the first to race in all three major series on the track. He started and finished second. Could he have beaten Stewart? "I don't think anybody had anything for Tony today."

2008

Jimmie Johnson

Rundown: The phrase of the day was "competition caution." Goodyear's tires were wearing out way too fast, prompting NASCAR officials to require pit stops about 12 laps. That made the work on pit road critical, and Johnson came out of the last stop in the lead, and he went on to pick up his second Brickyard win. He blew out a tire during his on-track victory celebration.

Quote: "I've never been a part of anything like this. It made for a long, slow day." - Johnson

So what happened Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said everyone expected rapid tire wear to correct itself once enough laps were run to lay down a coat of rubber on the track. "We felt like it would come to us by race day. It didn't happen. We'll just have to take what we learned (Sunday) and do a better job next year."

2009

Jimmie Johnson

Rundown: This race looked to be in the bag for Juan Pablo Montoya. At one point he led 59 laps in a row. However, he was penalized for speeding on his last pit stop. On the final restart, Johnson passed Mark Martin and he led the final 24 laps to earn his third Brickyard win in four years.

Quote: "I feel we've got our form now," Johnson said. "It's time to buckle down and focus on a fourth."

Not so Juan-derful: Montoya finished 11th after serving his drive-through penalty, although he thought he obeyed the 55 mph pit road speed limit. "Once it happens, you can't change it. It's pretty frustrating."

2010

Jamie McMurray

Rundown: For the second year in a row, Juan Pablo Montoya dominated much of the race before misfortune struck. A caution on Lap 138 sent most cars into the pits. Montoya's crew changed four tires instead of two, costing him time and track position. In his haste to move up from seventh place, he crashed. McMurray took the lead with 11 laps to go and added a Brickyard victory to his season-opening Daytona 500 win.

Quote: "When Juan was leading and I was second, I'm a big believer in fate, and I thought this was how it was meant to be," McMurray said. "I thought Juan was going to win this one."

Ganassi in the middle: Chip Ganassi owned the Cup cars driven by McMurray and Montoya, so he was torn about the result. He also owned the Indy car driven that year by Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, giving him a sweep of the three biggest races in American motor sports. "The team wins and the team loses and today was certainly a mixed emotion day in that respect," Ganassi said. "Is it surreal? Yes."

2011

Paul Menard

Rundown: The Menard family had been chasing Brickyard victories for a generation, but it was John Menard as an IndyCar team owner. The younger Menard, nursing a low fuel tank, held off Jeff Gordon at the finish. Gordon was in 16th place with 20 laps to go and zoomed by everyone else in his path.

Quote: "I've been coming here since I was a little kid. My dad has been coming here for 35 years. This is for my dad," Menard said. "A lot of emotions right now. I can't believe we won Indy."

Remembering his first: The win was Menard's first in Cup competition. "I don't think there's anybody in this garage who appreciates a win here more than Paul," said Gordon, who was pleased with his late dash to second. "I was really clicking off some laps. I knew that we were not quite going to get to Paul. I used it all up getting to him."

2012

Jimmie Johnson

Rundown: Johnson's day started badly. The 6 a.m. cannon blast and the ensuing music stage sound check bothered him. Once he got on the track, all was forgiven. He led 99 laps and earned his fourth Brickyard win, tying Jeff Gordon for the most in race history. Was there any competition? "You talk about guys being in their own ZIP code," said Kyle Busch, who finished second. "He was in his own country."

Quote: "Winning is great, but to go out there and put it on them is even better," Johnson said. "To wear them out is the best."

But he didn't finish the job: Many in the garage area believed a Brickyard win would propel Johnson to another Cup championship. He had won the Cup the previous three times he won at Indy. But he finished third in points that season, behind Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer.

2013

Ryan Newman

Rundown: Ryan Newman - born in South Bend, educated at Purdue and a veteran of numerous Indiana short tracks - became the latest Hoosier race champ at Indy. Jimmie Johnson led 73 laps, but a poor final pit stop of 17.2 seconds, allowed Newman to take the lead and earn his 17th Cup victory.

Quote: "I think it's a coincidence I was born in Indiana," the South Bend native said. "I would have an appreciation for this racetrack if I was born in Hawaii."

A little bittersweet: Newman had recently learned his spot on Tony Stewart's race team was going away after the season because Kevin Harvick had already secured enough financial support for the 2014 season.

Learning from the best: Newman once slept on the floor of Jeff Gordon's sprint car shop in Pittsboro ... "With the race cars," he said, because he spent all day preparing them to race.

2014

Jeff Gordon

Rundown: Of all the drivers who could own five wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, few would be more fitting than Jeff Gordon, who spent his teenage years in Pittsboro, tearing up the sprint car circuit. He has loved Indianapolis Motor Speedway for decades, making this win personal as well as historic.

Quote: 'That sends a chill up your spine as a race car driver in a race that is so important to you, to have so many fans out there supporting you.' - Jeff Gordon, upon seeing the fans cheer him as he approached the finish line

Teammates? Not at this point: Gordon overtook Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne with 17 laps to go on a restart with 17 laps remaining. Gordon hadn't had good restarts all day, so he changed things up a bit and went to the outside. Kahne didn't appreciate the NASCAR officiating there, but Gordon didn't care. 'I'm here to win the race, you know,' Gordon said. 'I treated him like a competitor at that point.'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sunday already had been proclaimed Jeff Gordon Day in Indianapolis before the No. 24 Chevrolet finished first for a record fifth time in the Brickyard 400.

So now it's time to ask: Will this also be Jeff Gordon Year in NASCAR Nation?

The four-time champion wasn't backing off that mantle after his second Sprint Cup victory this season.

"I think the reason why we're leading the points is because we're the best team," he said. "I don't believe that means we always have the best race car.

"But this weekend we had the best car and the best team. That tells me that if you can do it here, you can do it anywhere. It's certainly going to be a huge confidence boost for this team. We recognize the significance of this."

#JeffGordonDay was trending nationally after Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard's proclamation to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Gordon's win in the inaugural NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and also honoring millions in charitable donations made to the city by the former resident of nearby Pittsboro). There also was plenty of numerical significance for the Hendrick Motorsports star.

Besides joining Michael Schumacher (five Formula One victories) and Jimmie Johnson (four Cup wins and an IROC triumph) as the only five-time winners at Indy, Gordon also notched his 90th victory on NASCAR's premier circuit, became the first driver to lead 500 laps at Indianapolis and clinched a Chase for the Sprint Cup berth.

But the magnitude of an Indianapolis win transcends statistics and the heritage of a fabled speedway that opened in 1909. The 2.5-mile track also is the most technically difficult in Sprint Cup. Passing opportunities are limited on its flat layout, which demands optimum handling and superior horsepower.

Generally, only the best teams win here, as evidenced by eight of the past 20 winners at the Brickyard also being crowned NASCAR champions the same season.

"It's so hard to gain confidence in this series, but a Brickyard 400 win, it just doesn't get any better," said Gordon, who won two of his four titles (1998, '01) during seasons in which he also captured Indy.

"To share that with that team that worked so hard, to see the look on their face, you can just see it in them now, you know, they believe."We were points leaders, we won at Kansas (Speedway), but I don't know if we believed we were capable of winning this championship this year. We do now. We've got to keep that fire in us."

There have been questions about Gordon's desire since his last Brickyard win 10 years ago. He is 13 years removed from his last title and hasn't finished top five in points since 2009.

The dip in results has coincided with the rise of Jimmie Johnson, and Gordon conceded his teammate's six championships over the past eight seasons took its toll mentally.

"You feel like you've kind of won all that you could win, then a guy like Jimmie Johnson comes along and starts dominating," he said. "You kind of lose the motivation."

Gordon, who turns 43 on Aug. 4, has talked more openly about retirement in recent years and said during the preseason that he'd exit the sport if he won the title this year.

But he has backed off since opening with 14 top 10s in 20 races under the guidance of crew chief Alan Gustafson.

"This team certainly has rejuvenated me in a lot of ways," he said. "It makes me want to dig down even deeper than I possibly can to give them everything back that they're putting into it. They've inspired me in so many ways. I'm just having a blast driving awesome race cars."

There is more motivation, too. Gordon celebrated Indy for the first time with his wife, Ingrid (whom he married in 2006), and children Ella, 7, and Leo, 3.

VIDEO: See Gordon talk about his historic win

"Those things kind of change your perspective on what's important to you (and) how much effort you want to put into something," he said. "With how good the race cars are, I don't want to be the weak link. So it's pushed me to give more, do more, work harder.

"My wife and kids, they've never experienced a championship. I told her, 'Hey, I know you want to know what it's like to win a championship. Well, there's a big commitment.' She's like, 'Whatever it takes.' That's the kind of year that we're having. We're just putting everything we possibly can into it."

Behind the wheel, it meant shoring up his biggest weakness: Restarts. Gordon has struggled since the adoption of double-file restarts five years ago, and he spun his tires twice early in Sunday's 400-miler.

But he delivered "the restart of my life" after the final caution, snatching the lead from teammate Kasey Kahne and leading the final 17 laps.

"Jeff just beat me," said Kahne, whose No. 5 Chevy led a race-high 70 laps. "We got into Turn 1, he held me down and he was able to get momentum (and) did a better job."

Gordon's car seemed to have an extra bit of oomph throughout the race. "I don't think anybody had anything for (Gordon)," runner-up Kyle Busch said. "It seemed like anybody that he got behind he was able to pass."

Team owner Rick Hendrick wasn't surprised, having told Gordon on race morning that "this was his day. The car was super fast," Hendrick said. "I told him, 'You're going to win.' The team put a lot of effort in this. They've been so strong all year."

What was Gordon's reaction to Hendrick's prediction? He smiled broadly.